


The secrets out

by Elemental_sorceress1



Series: The adventures of Marinette Stone [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alya Césaire Bashing, Emilie Agreste Lives, F/M, Gen, Summer Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23300902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elemental_sorceress1/pseuds/Elemental_sorceress1
Summary: Summer Vacation has arrived and Marinette's excited to go on tour with her father, but how will things change when her biggest secret is revealed. How will her friends and her former friends react?Part four to The Adventures of Marinette Stone series.
Relationships: André Bourgeois/Audrey Bourgeois, Chloé Bourgeois/Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Emilie Agreste/Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain
Series: The adventures of Marinette Stone [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653955
Comments: 44
Kudos: 669
Collections: Miraculous Stories





	1. Chapter 1

Marinette smiled as she rushed out of the school, her friends smiled and waved as she passed them, school was over for the summer and she was leaving to go on tour for with her father the next day and she still had to finish packing. 

She missed her father and couldn't wait to see him, he had promised to be waiting at the bakery for her when she got home from school. They were all going to have supper together and then she'd spend the night at the hotel with them before leaving early in the morning.

Adrien saw her as she was running and offered her a ride home, she smiled gratefully as she slid into the backseat beside him, greeting her friend's mother and driver as she did so. 

"Excited to see your dad?" Adrien asked with a smile.

"I haven't seen him in person for months, I miss him" Marinette agreed, Adrien hugged her to his side and she cuddled into his shoulder.

"Send me pictures from your travels," Adrien told her as they pulled up outside the bakery.

"I will" Marinette promised as she exited the car. "Wait right here, I'll be back!" she told them as she rushed into the building. She greeted her uncle Tom with a hug and a kiss on his cheek, she asked if she could give her friend a chocolate croissant as a thank you for the ride home and he smiled, grabbing a box and placing five of the treats inside, she smiled as she ran back to the waiting car, giving Adrien the box as she said goodbye once again.

"Is he here yet?" Marinette asked as she rushed back inside.

"He's upstairs" he replied, shaking his head fondly when she squealed and rushed up the stairs in the back of the bakery that led to the apartment. 

When she entered the living room her dad was standing by the kitchen talking to Auntie Sabine, and she nearly knocked him over as she tackled him in a hug.

"Whoa, I missed you too Mari but you're hugging me a little tight there," he said, and she let him go, a wide smile on her face. "I think you bruised my ribs Rock star," he told her, but he held his arms open for a proper hug. Sabine smiled at the two, she knew how much Marinette had missed her father.

"Why don't you go up and finish packing and change before supper sweetheart," Auntie Sabine said, Marinette nodded and hugged her quickly before she left to do as she was told.

XXX

Marinette slipped on a pair of black flats and smoothed out the skirt of the red dress she was wearing, making sure to smooth out any wrinkles in the fabric. Her dark hair hung loose around her shoulders.

"It's time to leave Marinette" Auntie Sabine called, and Marinette smiled, grabbing her suitcase, Uncle Tom smiled at her when she opened the trap door to her room holding out one large hand to take the bag from her so she wouldn't fall while carrying it down. 

"You look beautiful," Uncle Tom told her with a smile, placing a kiss to the top of her head. Her father held out an arm for her, and she linked her elbow through his with a smile, letting him lead her out of the building and into the waiting car.


	2. Chapter 2

The first stop on her father's tour was New York, Marinette smiled as she took a picture of herself in front of the large windows, showing the night sky and a plane in the background before texting it to her friends, letting them know that she had arrived safely.

"It's time to go to the hotel Marinette," Penny told her, Marinette smiled and fell into step behind the security guard dressed in plain clothes that were tasked with keeping an eye on her and making sure she was safe. She smiled and ducked her head when her father exited the airport to be immediately swarmed by fans. The security guard pushed through the crowd, guiding Marinette through with a gentle but firm hand on her elbow.

"Your father will meet us at the hotel," the woman told her, her face was stern but her eyes softened whenever she spoke to Marinette. Marinette loved traveling with her father when he went on tours, he had started taking her with him during the summers when she was eight before he hit the height of his fame. 

She knew that he wished he could be with her every day, but a life spent constantly moving from one place to the next, living out of hotels wasn't the life he wanted for her. He wanted her to have a normal life, to go to school, and make friends her age without the worry that they were only using her because of who her father was. So during school, she lived with Auntie Sabine and Uncle Tom.

"Your room number is four hundred nineteen, this is your key card, be very careful not to lose it or forget it if you leave the room. Mr. Stone said you are welcome to order room service if you're hungry, I'll be right outside the door if you need anything" the woman told her, handing Marinette the key card as they stepped onto an elevator at the hotel.

Once Marinette entered the room she quickly found the smaller bedroom and began unpacking her suitcase in search of her pajamas, hanging the rest of her clothes in the closet, the suitcase itself stood against one of the walls of the closet.

With her task finished she sat on the couch, flipping through the TV channels in search of something to watch while she waited for her dad to get there.

Marinette woke up later that night when her father picked her up off the couch, she mumbled a greeting, but from the raised eyebrow and the snort he made she figured it didn't sound like actual words, but she was too tired to care. She cuddled into his shoulder, letting him carry her to bed.

"Good night my little Rock star" he whispered, kissing her head as he pulled the blanket up, she felt Fang scramble onto the bed and take his place by her feet. Fang always slept with her when she stayed with them, she smiled and snuggled into the pillows, knowing that she was safe as she fell back asleep.`


	3. Chapter 3

As Jagged Stone's assistant and the person who basically ran the man's life, it was important to make sure that she was on top of any news that came out about him. She had set up alerts to be notified whenever her boss' name was mentioned in the news.

When she opened the notification she assumed it was about the upcoming show. It was the picture she saw first, a shot of Jagged hugging Marinette in the hallway outside of his hotel suite. Marinette was laughing as the man lifted her feet off of the ground, her arms wrapped around the man's neck. The outfit Jagged was wearing was the outfit he had worn for the show the night before.

The reporters didn't know who Marinette was yet, it was obvious that she was too close to Jagged to be a fan. While some thought perhaps she was a new love interest, it wouldn't be long until someone pointed out that she looked way too young to be in a relationship with the rock star, and they did not need rumors that Jagged was inappropriate with under-aged girls. 

Penny sighed as her number was called, she thanked the man as she took the bag of sandwiches Jagged had sent her to get for lunch from the little deli that had become a favorite of the man's when he was New York. She would have to set up a press release and prepare Marinette, she was sure the reporters would have questions for the young girl. She had hoped that the day would be peaceful.

XXX

Marinette stood behind a curtain in the room where the press conference was being held, watching as reporters took their seats, looking eager about the interview. Her father was talking to Penny, voice quiet but clearly annoyed. 

She hunched her shoulders, wrapping her arms around herself nervously, her phone felt like a lead weight in her pocket. She had turned it off as soon as she saw the picture of herself and her father before her friends could message her. She was scared about what they would say, that they'd be mad at her for never telling them.

"Well, it's all coming out now Sweetheart" came her father's voice over her shoulder, Marinette jumped as he broke her out of her downward spiral.

"Easy there Rock star, it's alright," he told her, pulling her against his side and running a comforting hand over her head.

"It's time to start sir" Penny interrupted them, Jagged nodded gave a reassuring smile to Marinette before he walked out from behind the curtain and took his seat, Penny following on his heel. The reporters all started shouting over each other in English, trying to get their questions answered first.

"Quiet!" Penny called, raising her voice loud enough to be heard over the reporters who stopped speaking and turned their attention to the purple-haired woman.

"Jagged has something he wants to say and then we will answer your questions, calmly and one at a time," she told them, waiting until they all nodded understanding before she bowed her head to allow Jagged to start.

"Right. First things first, the girl in the picture is my daughter Marinette, and she's fifteen" Jagged said, looking at her and smiling.

"Are you sure she's yours?!" was the first question, her father glared at the reporter, whether for interrupting or the question; she wasn't actually sure.

"Of course I am, I was there when she was born. This was before I became Jagged Stone, I was eighteen and her mother and I both wanted to be musicians. When she got pregnant she wanted to put the child up for adoption, I wanted to try being a family. We were young, and she wasn't sure she even wanted kids at all, let alone at eighteen. Once Marinette was born she signed all of her rights over to me and walked away, I haven't heard from her since" Jagged finished with a shrug of his shoulders.

"How come we never knew of her before?" a reporter asked, he was clearly balding but tried to comb his hair in a way that tried to cover it.

"When my career started taking off I decided that I wanted her to have a normal life, and I didn't want people trying to use her because of who I am. I've dealt with people who are only my friends because they think they can get something from me. She lives with some of my closest friends who are basically family to me. She travels with me in the summers" he answered.

More questions were asked as the time passed, Jagged explained how he had met Tom and Sabine and how the couple had basically adopted him and Marinette without mentioning their names. He praised her talent, showing them things she had made for him and causing her to blush brightly.

They had asked her some questions as well, allowing her to take her time answering when Penny explained that while Marinette could understand English she was still learning how to speak in English.

Once the reporters seemed satisfied, they headed back to the hotel. Marinette felt exhausted from the day. Her father simply hugged her when she told him that she didn't feel like going to the show that night and let her stay at the hotel with Penny and Fang.

Fang curled around her as she laid in her bed and turned her phone on again, opening the mass of unread messages from her friends. Hoping that they wouldn't be upset that she hadn't told them just who her father was.


	4. Chapter 4

Nathaniel was spending the day with Chloe, a year ago they had barely been acquaintances, but the blonde had changed in the past year, and Adrien had pulled her into their little group and somehow she had become Nathaniel's girlfriend.

Emilie, Adrien's mom had apparently called Audrey Bourgeois out on the way her daughter acted, telling the fashion critic that it was because instead of trying to fix her crumbling marriage or getting a divorce the woman decided to run away to New York, and the fact that she could never seem to remember her own daughter's name. And while the words had been harsh, it had apparently been what the woman needed to hear.

Audrey had stayed in Paris, and the family had gone to counseling to try and fix the frayed relationships, and Chloe had realized that her actions had simply been her lashing out to hide the fact that she felt abandoned by her mother. 

Audrey and Andre were happy and sickeningly sweet to each other, and Audrey was trying to fix her relationship with her daughter. And Adrien had pulled his childhood friend into their small group, and while she wasn't Marinette's or Juleka's best friend, she was clearly trying and so the two dark-haired girls decided to give her a chance.

The two had been on the roof of the Le Grand Paris hotel, when Juleka sent him the link to the article, both he and Chloe had peered at his phone in confusion at the picture of Jagged Stone hugging Marinette and lifting her off of her feet.

XXX

Adrien was reclined on the couch, one leg dangling off the edge while he listened to his parents and Natalie quietly talk about what patterns were popular this season. He was bored, but all of his friends were busy, so he was stuck being alone.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, clicking the link Juleka sent him with a confused frown, the girl didn't usually send him links to stuff. When he saw the picture he sat up straight on the couch. How had Marinette gotten Jagged Stone to hug her like that?

"Can I go to my friend's house?" Adrien asked, looking towards his parents. Juleka wouldn't mind him showing up to see if she had any idea what was going on.

"Of course darling" his mother replied smiling at him, she returned his hug and smiled wider when he hugged his father as well before going to get his shoes on while Natalie called for his bodyguard to pull the car up.

XXX

Juleka had promised to help her brother finish a song he'd been writing, but had gotten stuck on that day. She had been sitting in one of the chairs on the deck searching through the news on Jagged Stone and listening to Luka strum his guitar while their mom hummed along when she came across it. 

Marinette was known to be a shy person until she got close to someone, so Juleka didn't understand how she seemed to be comfortable enough in Jagged Stone's presence to laugh, especially with the man picking her up the way he was.

"What's wrong Juleka?" her mother asked, peering over her daughter's shoulder at the phone she held to see what had shocked her so much. Luka joined them a second later, leaning closer to get a better look at the picture.

"Oh, I guess it's coming out now" her mother murmured, both Juleka and Luka turned their heads to stare at their mother in shock.

"What are you talking about? What's coming out?" Juleka asked, her mother sat on the edge of the chair beside her.

"I never said anything because it wasn't my story to tell, but I told you that your father and I worked with Jagged for a little while when Luka and you were little?" she asked, both of her children nodded.

"Well, we were all friends, and he told us that he had a daughter when he was eighteen and that some of his family took care of her when he was away from Paris. We talked about introducing you two, but your father and I decided that we wanted to go home and raise you two away from the craziness that came with being famous. We both promised him when we left that we wouldn't tell anyone his secret" she told them.

"I still don't know what you're saying," Juleka said, she had an inkling, but she needed to hear her mother actually say the words.

"His daughter is named Marinette, I realized who she was the first time you brought her home, but as I said, it wasn't my story to tell" she replied, confirming her daughter's suspicions.

"One of my best friends has been my favorite singer's daughter this whole time!" Juleka exclaimed, her mother simply nodded and took one of her daughter's hands in her own.

"Why didn't she ever tell us?" Juleka asked, she wasn't really asking her family but her mother answered anyway.

"Some people use knowledge like that for their own gain, and after what you told me your class was doing to the poor girl, she was probably afraid of losing the few friends she had left" the older woman explained, and Juleka nodded. If that was the case then she didn't blame Marinette, she would have been weary to tell people too. 

"I'm going to call her, she must be nervous about what's happening" Juleka announced standing from her seat, her mother and brother both smiled as they watched her descend into the cabin of their houseboat.

She tried calling Marinette twice, but both times she simply received Marinette's voice mail, the other girl's voice telling her politely to leave a message and that she would return the call as soon as she could. 

Marinette must have shut her phone off, possibly worried about what her friends would say, worried that they would be mad at her for not telling them. Juleka left a message instead, explaining that her mother who had worked with Jagged in the past had told Juleka everything, and assuring Marinette that she wasn't mad at her and asking the other girl to call her when she got the message.

Marinette was her friend, and she would do whatever it took to assure her that Juleka wasn't going to turn her back on her as their class had. Marinette deserved so much better than to be treated like that. Juleka was still disappointed in them for the way they had acted, she had thought that they were better than to bully and harass someone just because of what one person said, especially someone who had done nothing but try to make them happy and be their friend the way Marinette had. At least Marinette had her, Adrien, Nathaniel, and the friends at her new school, her real friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say a few things about this chapter.
> 
> 1.) I like Marc, I really do. But I don't really know the character and I didn't feel comfortable writing for them without having a firmer grasp on the character.
> 
> 2.) I do like Chloe, and I really thought that she could have changed and become a better person, but after the incident in Stormy Weather 2 and Miracle Queen it doesn't seem like that will happen. And honestly, the way her interactions are with her mother in the show made me believe that the way she acts is a reaction to feeling abandoned and ignored by her mother. so I decided that she was going to be better for this series.
> 
> 3.) I don't know why the relationship between Audrey and Andre is the way it is, it's shown in the show that their still married despite not getting along, so I thought perhaps the marriage wasn't doing well, so Audrey decided to leave Paris.


	5. Chapter 5

Alya screeched loudly and nearly dropped her phone, she was finally able to watch the press conference, she wished she would have been able to watch it live, but her mom would have killed her if she had stayed up that late.

Marinette was Jagged Stone's daughter, she had been best friends with Jagged Stone's daughter and now the girl wouldn't even talk to her. Alya scowled, Marinette hadn't even told her, she knew Alya would kill for the chance to interview the Rock Star and yet she had been selfish and hadn't told Alya. 

It was rude of Marinette to not tell the class, to not introduce them to her father, when she knew that most of the class were fans of his. Even if Lila had been lying, she had at least said she'd introduce them to the people. 

When Marinette stopped being petty and forgave them, Alya was going to give the raven-haired girl a piece of her mind, and then demand that Marinette introduced her to Jagged Stone, it was only fair after the way she had acted.

XXX

Chloe's laugh was more of a cackle when Nathaniel showed her the Jagged Stone press conference the day after they saw the picture of Marinette being hugged by the man. She knew the redhead was filming her as she laughed so hard she nearly choked and then started wheezing. He'd probably send it to Marinette, but she didn't care, she could only laugh as she imagined the faces of the idiots from her class when they found out that they had bullied the daughter of Jagged Stone.

"You need water?" her boyfriend asked when her laughter turned into a coughing fit, the blonde nodded, and he handed her a glass of ice water from the small table by the lounge chair he was sitting on. Chloe took a couple of sips as she got control over herself and calmed down.

"Marinette, I would have given you my most expensive pair of shoes if you had told the class that Jagged Stone was your dad when Lila was lying about how they were such great friends," she said, looking straight into the lens of the camera her boyfriend was still using to film her with, he smiled at her with a chuckle of his own.

XXX

"She has to look like her mother," Kim said, Alix rolled her eyes from where she sat next to Max on the cement steps.

"She has Asian features and Jagged Stone doesn't, obviously she looks like her mother" the skater said.

"They do share similarities, however" Max added from his spot between the two.

"Yeah, like eye color" Alix nodded.

"If she ever forgives us, do you think she could get me an autograph?" Kim asked.

"I just realized that Jagged Stone probably hates our entire class" Alix whispered, flopping back on the stairs with a groan.

"Man, I hate myself too" Kim agreed, letting his head fall into his hands. Max patted both of their shoulders in comfort, though he very much agreed with Kim's statement.

XXX

Not for the first time, Nino wished he could go back in time and take Marinette's side, he missed his friend, but he understood that she wasn't ready to forgive them. He had seen the interview earlier, and it had brought the feelings back again.

He wasn't upset that Marinette had never told them, he was a little upset that his favorite musician probably wasn't very happy with him, but he was mostly upset at himself. Marinette looked so happy, and he missed seeing her every day. She was always so kind and seemed to be able to brighten up even the worst days.

He missed his friend, but he was glad to see her happy again. And if she never forgave him or talked to him again, then he hoped she would stay happy. She deserved it after everything that had happened.


	6. Chapter 6

Marinette sat on the couch in her father's dressing room watching videos from his previous concerts on her father's tablet. Her eyes studied the way the lights reflected around the stage, she wanted the fabric of the jacket she was going to make for him to catch the light and reflect it, similar to the way a disco ball worked. So she was hoping that the videos would give her an idea of the way the jacket would reflect the light while he was on stage. 

"Alright Rock star, I'm needed on stage now. You need anything, your guard will be outside the door. Your welcome to join Penny to watch the show if you decide to" Jagged told her, kissing the top of her head before he left the room, Fang followed behind on his leash.

"Bye, dad! Have a good set" Marinette called after him, he smiled at her with a wink as he shut the door behind him. Once the man was gone, the raven-haired girl returned to the video that was paused on the screen.

Her dad often liked to take Fang up on stage with him, whether the crocodile was dancing around the man's feet or simply laying on top of the piano the rock star played during certain songs, she could make the animal a matching vest. Fang loved wearing the things she made for him, and her dad would probably love having Fang match with him on stage.

She tapped her pencil against her lips, thinking of what the actual design of the jacket should be, she knew it couldn't be too heavy and had to be easy to move in. It was easy to get overheated under the stage lights, and she didn't want her dad to faint or anything. 

She had just pulled the waist of the jacket in on her sketch when her phone went off beside her, a picture of her and Adrien flashed on the screen and she pressed the button to answer, putting her pencil and the tablet on top of her sketchbook.

"Hey Mari" Adrien greeted, she could hear the grin in his voice.

"Hi, Adrien, what's up?" Marinette asked.

"Not much, I saw Alya yesterday when I was out and she once again started demanding your number. I talked to Kagami, she told me to tell you that she said hello" Adrien replied, Marinette smiled, Kagami's mother had business in Japan and so the Japanese girl had been forced to leave Paris three months earlier.

"Is she coming back to Paris soon?" Marinette asked, pulling her legs up under her on the couch.

"She'll be in Japan the entire summer. You'll be going to Japan on your father's tour right?" Adrien asked, she knew he had to have seen the interview, she knew he was a fan of her father, but a part of her had hoped foolishly that he hadn't.

"We'll be going to Tokyo for a few shows" she confirmed.

"You should call her and see if you can meet up, she'd love to see you," Adrien told her.

"Are you mad that I never told you Jagged Stone was my dad?" Marinette asked, her words rushing together. It was best to get it over with quickly, like ripping off a band-aid.

"I'm rolling my eyes just so you know. Marinette if there is anyone that understands why you didn't tell anyone it's me. My dad is one of the biggest fashion designers in the world, my mom is his top model, and I occasionally model as well remember? I get it, you know I've had my share of people who try to use me because of my name" Adrien assured her and Marinette let out a sigh and smiled.

"Thanks, Adrien" Marinette said.

"Friends like you for who you are, anyone who only likes you for what they can get out of it isn't your friend, remember that Mari," Adrien told her, his tone going serious.

"I will" She promised

"I'm here if you ever need to talk, you know that right?" the boy asked and Marinette smiled again, she was glad to have a friend like him.

"I know" she assured him.

XXX

They talked for a minute's longer before Adrien had to go, his mother apparently telling him that it was time to hang up and go to bed. She laughed when Adrien grumbled about being a teenager and wished him a good night.

She sent messages to her other friends, minus Juleka and Nathaniel, who had already assured her that they weren't angry, asking them the same question she had asked Adrien. Charlotte replied quickly, promising that neither she nor Jean was upset, Fleur was next, telling her that they were new friends and that Marinette was under no obligation to tell them everything. Lucien, Noel, and Jonah all said similar words and Marinette smiled as she went back to her jacket design. A weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, her fear of losing her new friends put to rest for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Adrien is allowed to actually be a kid in this, he doesn't have to model constantly but he does it sometimes, as I don't think he'd hate as much as he does in the show if it was just occasional.


	7. Chapter 7

Jagged stone was stretched out on the couch in his dressing room after his show, he always needed some time to relax after shows, and while he usually did that at the hotel, Penny had taken Marinette out to get a treat. Marinette had been swarmed by his fans when she had been coming in after getting some fresh air. While her guard had managed to push the girl through the crowd, the teen had still gotten overwhelmed and Penny decided that getting away from the building and the fans were the best solution.

Jagged lifted his head when someone knocked on the door, one of his own security guards opening the door a crack. Jagged wondered what the man wanted, Penny couldn't be back yet, her message said she would text when the returned so he could meet them at the car.

"Sorry sir, there's a woman here with a VIP pass that wanted to talk to you, I know that it's past your meet and greet but I thought I would ask since your still here for a few more minutes," the man said.

"It's fine, I'll talk to her," Jagged told him, sitting up fully on the couch as the man opened the door.  
The woman that stepped into the room was someone Jagged had never thought he would see again, her black hair was braided into a neat bun pinned on the top of her head. 

She was dressed in a black dress, with an emerald green jacket over top. She looked almost exactly the way she had fifteen years ago when she walked away after pressing a newborn baby into his arms without even saying goodbye.

"Meilin?" Jagged asked his voice little more than a breath.

"Hello, David" the woman replied, she smiled slightly, and it almost felt like he was looking into his daughter's future.

"I go by Jagged now, nobody calls me David," he told her, the surprise had dissipated.

"Of course, Jagged" Meilin corrected herself.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, standing up from his seat on the couch.

"I wanted to see our daughter, Marinette right?" she asked, and anger welled up in the man's chest, the woman hadn't even bothered to name her child before she walked out of her life and now she wanted to see her!

"You abandoned her fifteen years ago!" Jagged shouted all of the anger from all of those years ago came rushing back all at once.

"I was eighteen! I wasn't even sure I wanted children, I wasn't ready for a child" she replied.

"Neither was I but I stayed. I woke up every night when she cried, I fed her and changed her, comforted, and loved her. I was there when she said her first word when she took her first steps. I was the one that kissed her knee and wiped away her tears when she tried to run for the first time and scrapped her knee on the concrete!" he growled

"I know, I know. I'm sorry that I just left, I understand that I hurt you both. I just want the chance to get to know her" Meilin said, taking a deep breath as she calmed herself down.

"That's not my decision, it's hers. I told her the truth when she asked where her mother was, but I never forced my feelings about what happened onto her" Jagged told her, and Meilin nodded in understanding.

"This is my number, I live here in California now so if she wanted to meet while you're here on tour we can. If she doesn't want to meet me or even talk to me that's fine, just give her my number please?" she asked, looking into his eyes and Jagged nodded. She smiled softly one last time before she left, the door closing behind her. Jagged sank down onto the couch again, his mind lost in memories of a long-ago time.

"Jagged? There you are, I texted you two minutes ago" Penny said, her voice breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry Penn, I was thinking and didn't hear my phone. Marinette alright?" Jagged replied, standing up. His assistant raised an eyebrow at him, she knew him well enough to know when he wasn't telling the whole truth, but she also knew when to press and when to let the matter go.

"She's fine, she just needed to get away from the crowd. She's not used to being recognized" the purple-haired woman told him, and he nodded following her out of the building and to the car where Marinette was waiting for them, Fang resting his head in her lap while she pet him.


	8. Chapter 8

Marinette had never met her mother, she never felt like she was missing out on anything though, she had her Auntie Sabine who had acted as a mother figure to her for as long as she could remember. And she had her father who had always been willing to play dress up or tea parties with her. She even had pictures of him wearing a pink feather boa and an over-sized sunhat sitting on the floor with her, bright blue eye shadow smeared over his face and red lipstick making him look like a clown from her attempt at doing his makeup when she was four. 

When she was seven and asked why she didn't have a mother like all of the other kids in school, he had sat her on his lap and told her the truth. They were young, still, practically kids themselves and her mother wasn't ready for a child. But he loved her more than anything in the world and always would. 

He always told her the truth whenever she asked about her mother, he even showed her an old picture he had kept when she asked what the woman had looked like. She knew the woman's name, how they had met, about the fight they had over their disagreement about what they wanted to do when she was born. She knew that her father had been the one that named her after the woman handed her to him and walked away.

XXX

It was because of that that Marinette wasn't surprised when he told her one day that her mother had shown up to talk to him when he was waiting for Penny to get back the night his fans had overwhelmed her and Penny took her to get a cupcake in order to escape. He gave her the woman's number, telling her that it was her choice if she wanted to see the woman or not and that he would stand beside her no matter her choice. She had decided to call, and they had spoken briefly on the phone before Marinette agreed to meet the woman.

The next day Marinette sat inside a cafe, her fingers fidgeting on the table in front of her nervously as she waited for the woman to arrive. She knew her father was watching her from the car that hadn't left. She had known all along that he wouldn't just wait at the hotel for her to return and she didn't care. He was probably sitting out there ready to swoop in and take her away if she needed him too, or if she even looked upset.

Finally, the door opened and a woman that looked too much like her not to be her mother entered, she looked around for a few seconds before her eyes settled on Marinette. She made her way to the table and smiled at her.

"Hello Marinette, it's wonderful to finally meet you" she greeted, sitting in the seat across from her.

"Hello..." Marinette started before she paused with a frown, she didn't know what to actually call the woman. Calling her mom felt weird, while she was her mother, she hadn't been in Marinette's life for fifteen years.

"You can just call me Meilin for right now if your not comfortable calling me mom yet," Meilin told her and Marinette nodded.

"Would you like a drink or a snack?" Meilin asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Some tea and a brownie please" Marinette replied and the older woman nodded as she stood from the table.  
She returned not long after, setting a cardboard cup of tea and a brownie on a napkin in front of her, before taking the seat across from her with her own drink.

"So, what do you like to do?" she asked, looking genuinely interested.

"I like to design and spend time with my friends," Marinette told her taking a sip from her drink, only to wince at the bitter taste. She grabbed two of the little packets of sugar off the table and tore them open, dumping the contents into her tea.

"Design huh? I thought you'd like music" Meilin said.

"I like music, Dad taught me how to play a few songs on his guitar but I've never really had the passion for it that he does. I like designing clothes, I made this shirt I'm wearing actually and I want to be a designer when I'm older" Marinette told her, gesturing to the black shirt that fell off one shoulder covered in pink and gold hearts.

"It's a very nice shirt, a lot of time must have been put into it" Meilin complimented and Marinette smiled at the praise.

The two talked for nearly a whole hour before Meilin glanced at her watch and told her that she had to go back to work. They both stood and Meilin told Marinette to feel free to call her anytime, she hugged the teenager quickly before she left.

Martinette smiled as she slid into the seat beside her father, cuddling into his side when he opened his arms and telling him how the meeting had gone. She had never felt like she was missing anything in her life, and she still didn't, but it was nice to meet the woman who had given birth to her. 

Even if it didn't work out, she had her father and Penny, Auntie Sabine and Uncle Tom as well as her friends, they made her happy, they were her family, and they were all she needed


	9. Chapter 9

Kagami waited patiently for Marinette's plane to arrive, she had been happy to get a call from the other girl asking if she would like to meet up when Marinette came to Japan as a part of her father's tour. They had agreed to meet at the airport, and then spend the day together as the plane would land at nine in the morning.

Marinette had been quick to forgive her for the misunderstanding that had caused Kagami to act cold to the girl and now she was one of Kagami's closest friends. The Japanese girl may not have many friends, but she was glad to count Marinette among them.

"Kagami!" Marinette's voice called, breaking through the noise around Kagami and earning a few stares from the other people around them. Marinette stopped in front of her, a bright smile on her face, clearly waiting for Kagami to give her permission to hug her. Marinette knew that Kagami did not like being touched without her permission, and thus always waited until the Japanese teen gave her permission.

Kagami nodded slightly, returning the hug as Marinette wrapped her arms around her a smile on her face the entire time. Her hair was loose around her shoulders instead of tied back into her usual pigtails and the dark strands tickled Kagami's nose.

"I'm happy that we could see each other" Marinette told her as she pulled away from the hug, Kagami gave her a small smile.

"I am pleased to see you as well Marinette. Do you wish to leave now? I have planned a few activities for us to do today that I thought you may enjoy" Kagami asked, Marinette gave her a bright smile in return.

"Let me just tell my dad we'll be leaving" the blue-eyed girl replied, rushing towards a man with purple tips in his black hair. While she was not a fan of his music, she recognized the man as Jagged Stone from the poster and albums Adrien had in his room. 

"Dad, I don't need a guard or Fang, Kagami has her own guard and I'll be fine" Marinette was assuring her father when Kagami caught up with her friend. The man had his arm around his daughter's shoulders, holding her close to his side.

"She's going with you Rock star and that's final. People have been bothering you since we had to tell everyone and I don't want to chance someone trying to hurt you in order to get to me or people crowding you and causing you to have a panic attack when Penny and I aren't there to calm you down" Jagged told her, his voice firm.

"Alright" Marinette agreed with a sigh, her father hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head before letting her go.

XXX

Marinette followed Kagami into the building, looking around her as Kagami spoke to a woman briefly in Japanese, the woman nodded and led them both away to a room full of kimonos hanging up.

"As you have expressed an interest in fashion both traditional and modern I thought you might be interested in wearing a kimono" Kagami explained.

"I'd love too! This is amazing Kagami, thank you" Marinette beamed at her and quickly began looking through the rows of fabric. Marinette chose a pale pink kimono covered in cherry blossoms, after which they were led to another area that was more private.

"I know that you are shy, would you prefer me to help you put it on?" Kagami offered, Marinette nodded and Kagami stepped forward.

A half-hour later Kagami had finished helping the half Chinese girl into the garment after which they were led away again. The woman helped Marinette pick out a tote that matched her kimono and then led them to the area to have Marinette's hair done.

Marinette's bangs remained swept to the side, the rest of her hair pulled back, some of her raven locks curled slightly and cascading to the side on the top of her head, pink, white, and red flower-shaped hair accessories finishing the look.

"I can't wait for my dad to see the pictures of me in this!" Marinette smiled as they left, Kagami dressed in her own red and black Kimono returned the smile and led her away from the building to take their pictures.

XXX

After they took several pictures, both together and separately they returned to the car, their guards in the front as they sat in the back.

The next destination was a traditional tea ceremony, chosen because Kagami enjoyed them and wished to share the experience with Marinette. Marinette posted a picture of Kagami holding a cup of tea as she inhaled the aroma with her eyes closed to Instagram. 

After the tea ceremony, Kagami took her to try Japanese desserts, because she had grown up above a bakery and was interested in the different types of pastries and desserts from around the world. She took a lot of pictures, sending them all to her uncle Tom knowing that he would be fascinated by all of them.

XXX

"This was an amazing day! Thank you so much Kagami" Marinette said as they headed to the hotel Marinette and her father were staying at.

"I am glad that you enjoyed it" Kagami replied.

"Hey, do you want to have a sleepover with me? Maybe you could even come to my dad's concert tomorrow!" Marinette asked. While Kagami would not mind the sleepover, she was not a fan of Jagged Stones music, but Marinette looked so hopeful that she did not wish to tell her that she wasn't interested.

"I will ask my mother," Kagami told her, Marinette beamed.

As it was summer and Kagami had done well in her studies during school and the fact that her fencing instructor was unavailable for another week as he healed from an injury her mother agreed to allow Kagami to spend the next few days with Marinette.

"We will need to stop at my home so that I can pack a bag," Kagami said, her guard turned and headed to the Tsurugi estate instead. When they arrived Marinette followed her inside, removing her shoes at the door without being instructed to do so.

While Kagami went to her room to pack some clothes and the other objects she would need Marinette remained in the front room talking to Kagami's mother. Assuring the woman that her daughter would be taken care of. She even called Penny to have her assure Tomoe as well.

Tomoe had already agreed to allow Kagami to spend the next few days with her friend, but she was pleased that the girl took the time to assure her that her daughter would be taken care of. The girl was polite and well mannered and showed genuine care and kindness for her daughter.

Kagami had told her mother that news had recently come out that the girl was the daughter of a rock musician who went by Jagged Stone. While Tomoe had liked Marinette when she first met her, she was unsure if the girl would be a bad influence on her daughter but it seemed she had not needed to worry, her father had clearly taught the girl well.

Tomoe said goodbye to both her daughter and her friend as they left, sightless eyes watching as the car drove away, only closing the door when she could no longer hear the car. Her daughter was in good hands she was sure.

**Author's Note:**

> Since this is a no miraculous AU, Emilie never got sick so she's still around, Gabriel isn't as much of a jerk, and Adrien doesn't have as much stuff to do and is allowed to actually be a kid. He also started school earlier then he did in the show, so he's not naive.


End file.
